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“Canadians are ready for bold action — and they expect the same from their government. This poll shows that whoever forms the next government must answer the call to action and make sure that affected workers and communities are properly supported through the transition.” — Larry Brown, NUPGE President
Ottawa (15 Sept. 2021) — 85% of voters polled said that taking serious action on climate change should be a moderate, high, or very high priority for the next government, according to a poll commissioned by the National Union of Public and General Employees (NUPGE).
This is the latest in a string of polls to find that the climate crisis is the issue in this federal election. This poll, conducted by Abacus Data, also finds that Canadians overwhelmingly agree that those whose livelihoods will be most affected by the transition to a green economy must receive supports.
Climate change is already here
9 in 10 people (86%) view climate change as an emergency or a threat, the poll finds.
“Voters know that climate change is here,” said Larry Brown, NUPGE President. “They’ve heard the warnings from scientists and, after a particularly difficult summer of heat waves, floods, and storms, they’ve seen first-hand the devastating impacts of climate change.”
“Canadians are ready for bold action — and they expect the same from their government. This poll shows that whoever forms the next government must answer the call to action and make sure that affected workers and communities are properly supported through the transition.”
Canadians want to see action
85% ranked taking serious action on climate change between a moderate and very high priority for the next government.
And it’s enough to sway the vote of over two-thirds of Canadians. That’s how many said that they would be more likely to support a party that takes serious action on climate change (63%).
We know that young activists have been at the forefront of demanding action on the climate emergency. This poll confirms that action on climate change is a high priority for young voters (aged 18 to 29), but it also shows that it’s a high priority for voters aged 60 and over. Priority is also particularly high among people in BC and Quebec, and for Liberal and NDP voters.
The cost of inaction is too high
Voters want to see ambitious action. They know that, if climate change is left unchecked, it will hurt the economy and it will cause harm to communities, such as through extreme weather events.
And so, 3 in 4 agree that the government needs to act quickly and strongly to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
But they also want governments to make sure no one is left behind in the process. Nearly 8 in 10 (79%) agree that, if the government is shifting Canada to a greener economy, it also needs to financially support those whose jobs and incomes are affected by new policies.
Vote for Better
Tackling climate change is 1 of 3 issues highlighted in NUPGE’s campaign, Vote for Better. Learn more at voteforbetter.ca.
To help voters unpack these and other issues, NUPGE is also releasing a series of election guides. You can find the one on Environment and Climate Change on our website.
Poll methodology:
The survey was conducted with 2,000 Canadian adults between the dates of September 9 to 12, 2021. A random sample of panelists were invited to complete the survey from a set of partner panels based on the Lucid exchange platform. These partners are typically double opt-in survey panels, blended to manage out potential skews in the data from a single source. The margin of error for a comparable probability-based random sample of the same size is +/-2.17, 19 times out of 20. The data were weighted according to census data to ensure that the sample matched Canada’s population according to age, gender, educational attainment, and region. Totals may not add up to 100 due to rounding.